407: Chapter 407 Dating Ivy

She froze completely.

Her cat tail went "whoosh" and stiffened straight.

Her ears also perked up.

Her eyes were wide, and her mouth was slightly agape, like a little wild cat that had stumbled upon a room full of hunters.

"...So many people?"

She had thought there would only be Qiao Feifei and Shen Youqing.

She had thought this was just a relaxed, small, informal gathering to eat some snacks and chat.

She thought...

"Big Sister Ai Wei!"

Qiao Feifei hurriedly stood up and waved at her.

"Come in, come in! We've been waiting for you for ages!"

"We saved you a seat!"

Shen Youqing patted the empty seat beside her.

"Sit down quickly! The sugar cakes haven't been served yet; we were just waiting for you!"

Ai Wei stood in place, her gaze sweeping quickly across the faces of everyone in the room.

Qiao Feifei, Shen Youqing, Su Yingxue, Qian Ye, Lu Shan, Ruozao, Fei Xue, Feiying, Hua Liuli, Bai Ling, Wu Qingya...

And that figure sitting in the main seat.

Lin Yun.

As her gaze touched his profile, the images from last night came flooding back like a tide.

Her tail puffed up suddenly.

"I..." Ai Wei opened her mouth, her voice a little dry, "I thought... it was only the two of you..."

"The more people, the merrier!"

Qiao Feifei had already walked quickly to the door and grabbed her wrist, leading her into the room.

"Don't just stand there! Come in and sit!"

Ai Wei was pulled along, stumbling two steps, her tail swaying uncontrollably from side to side.

As if resisting, yet also as if hesitating.

In the end, she was pressed down into the seat next to Shen Youqing by Qiao Feifei.

Her posture upon sitting was very stiff; her back was straight, and her hands were placed properly on her knees.

Her cat tail curled beside the chair leg, quiet and not daring to move at all.

Shen Youqing poured her a cup of tea and handed it to her.

"Drink some tea to warm up first. The sugar cakes will be here soon."

"Th-thank you..."

Ai Wei took the teacup and lowered her head to take a sip.

The tea was very hot.

She hadn't noticed and burned the tip of her tongue, almost dropping the cup.

Shen Youqing saw it, a smile turning at the corner of her mouth, but she didn't point it out.

The sugar cakes were served quickly.

The golden, crispy outer layer was piping hot, drizzled with a layer of glistening honey, emitting an enticing sweet aroma.

Qiao Feifei picked up the largest piece and placed it in Ai Wei's bowl.

"Here! Try it! This is the shop's signature red bean paste filling!"

Ai Wei looked down at the sugar cake in her bowl, then looked up at everyone at the table, the tip of her tail curling quietly.

"...Thank you."

She picked up her chopsticks, picked up the sugar cake, and took a bite.

The outer skin was crispy, the inside soft and glutinous, and the sweet aroma of the red bean paste melted in her mouth; it was indeed delicious.

Her brows smoothed out slightly, and her tense back relaxed by half an inch.

But just at this moment...

"Miss Ai Wei, how is the taste?"

Lin Yun's voice came from the main seat, gentle and deep, carrying a smile.

Ai Wei froze again.

She looked up, meeting Lin Yun's gaze.

His eyes were very gentle, as if asking a perfectly ordinary question.

But the images appearing in her mind were not ordinary at all.

Those images.

Those images that she thought she had suppressed, that she had spent the entire morning trying hard to barely suppress, came running out again.

The way Fei Xue looked in Lin Yun's arms.

The way Feiying looked with her neck tilted up.

Lin Yun's bowing motion, his warm breath...

Ai Wei's tail "slapped" off the chair leg, the tip of her tail trembling twice.

"It's, it's delicious!"

She answered quickly, then lowered her head and stuffed the remaining large piece of sugar cake into her mouth all at once.

Her cheeks were bulging, like a little squirrel that had been startled.

Qiao Feifei saw it clearly from the side and exchanged a look with Shen Youqing.

Shen Youqing coughed lightly and poured her another cup of tea.

"Eat slowly, don't choke."

Ai Wei chewed for a long time with bulging cheeks before finally swallowing that mouthful of sugar cake.

She held the teacup and took a sip of water, her gaze never leaving the tabletop.

As if that plate of sugar cakes on the table was the most worth studying thing she had ever seen in her life.

Lin Yun spoke again.

"Miss Ai Wei, I heard that you are all setting off to return to the Tianlang Empire tomorrow?"

Ai Wei's ears twitched.

She looked up, glanced at Lin Yun quickly, and then lowered her head just as quickly.

"...Mm."

"Then this meal today can be considered a farewell for you."

Lin Yun's tone was gentle and calm, like casual chatter between friends.

"Next time you come to the Lingyuan Empire, I will treat you to something else."

"...Thank you."

Ai Wei's answer was as brief as squeezing toothpaste.

But her tail had already revealed everything.

The tip of her tail was restlessly sweeping back and forth beside the chair leg, as if looking for a place to settle.

Qiao Feifei saw it and smiled impassively.

She picked up the teapot on the table and tilted it towards Ai Wei.

"Big Sister Ai Wei, would you like another cup?"

"Okay..."

Ai Wei hurriedly handed over her cup.

But just as she handed out the cup, Lin Yun also happened to reach out to grab a snack plate on the table.

Their fingers were extremely close above the tabletop, so close that Ai Wei could feel the wisp of warm air stirred up by his fingertips.

She retracted her hand violently as if electrocuted.

"Clatter—"

The teacup slipped from her hand and fell onto the table.

Tea splashed all over the table, dripping down along the edge of the table.

Everyone at the table was stunned.

Ai Wei's tail puffed up into a ball of fur.

She shrank back half an inch, her ears tense like two upright antennas.

"S-sorry! I didn't mean to!"

She reached out in a panic to wipe the tea off the table, but the more she wiped, the messier it got; the tea flowed to the edge of the tablecloth and dripped onto her own skirt.

"It's okay, it's okay!"

Shen Youqing reacted the fastest and quickly picked up a dry cloth from the side to hand to her.

"Just wipe it up! Don't worry, don't worry!"

"I'll do it, I'll do it!"

Qiao Feifei also stood up to help her hold down the other end of the tablecloth.

Ai Wei lowered her head, wiping the water stains on the table in a panic.

Her ears were bright red, the tip of her tail was still trembling, and she was flustered, embarrassed, and at a loss for what to do.

Lin Yun was a bit puzzled as to why she was like this...

Lin Yun couldn't find the words to describe that feeling.

It just felt like, after not seeing her for one night, Ai Wei seemed to have changed a lot.

...

Ai Wei finally wiped the table clean; by the time she sat down, a thin layer of sweat had broken out on her back.

She picked up the refilled teacup and took a big gulp, then took several deep breaths, finally barely managing to calm her heartbeat.

However...

"Miss Ai Wei." Lin Yun's voice rang out again.

Ai Wei's ears "whooshed" and perked up.

"Would you like to try this plate of walnut crisps? It's also this shop's signature."

Lin Yun pushed the plate of snacks in front of him towards her direction.

Ai Wei's tail swished frantically behind the chair leg twice.

She looked at the plate of walnut crisps, then looked at Lin Yun's gentle, smiling face, and opened her mouth.

"...I... I'm full."

After saying this, she stood up from her seat as if fleeing, and walked quickly to the window.

"I'll look at the street view!"

With her back to everyone, she rested her hands on the windowsill.

Her cat tail hung stiffly behind her, like a taut bowstring.